Association study between common variations in some candidate genes and prostate adenocarcinoma predisposition through multi-stage approach in Iranian population

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the five common cancers and has the second incidence rate and the third mortality rate in Iranian population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of rs16901979, rs4242382 and rs1447295 on 8q24 locus, rs2735839 (KLK3 gene) and rs721048 (EHBP1 gene) with prostate adenocarcinoma through multi-stage approach to identify the polymorphisms associated with prostate cancer and use them as screening factors. Screening tests can identify people who may have a chance of developing the disease before detection and any symptoms. Methods: The case-control study included 103 cases (prostate adenocarcinoma) and 100 controls (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Tetra-primer ARMS-PCR was used to genotyping of each participant. A Multi-stage approach was used for efficient genomic study. In this method, a smaller number of people can be used. Chi-squared, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression were used to investigate the SNPs associated with prostate cancer and Gleason score. Results: In the first stage (59 men), the frequency of polymorphisms rs16901979, rs4242382, rs1447295, rs2735839 and rs721048 in the prostate adenocarcinoma group was evaluated compared to the control group (P-value < 0.3) in order to select meaningful polymorphisms. There was not any significant difference between genotype frequency rs16901979 (P = 0.671) and rs721048 (P = 0.474) in the case group compared to BPH. Therefore, these polymorphisms were eliminated, and in the second step (144 men), rs4242382, rs2735839 and rs1447295 were evaluated (P-value < 0.05). According to the total population (203 men), there was significant difference between genotype frequency rs4242382 (P = 0.001), rs2735839 (P = 0.000) and rs1447295 (P = 0.005) even after using Bonferroni correction (p = 0.016). The effect of these three polymorphisms on prostate cancer was not modified by age and PSA. There was a significant difference between the allelic frequency of A vs G (rs4242382, rs2735839) at all classes of Gleason score and A vs C (rs1447295) at Gleason score � 8. Conclusions: The results of this study for rs2735839, rs4242382 and rs1447295 indicate the association of these polymorphisms with prostate adenocarcinoma predisposition in Iranian population. Exposure effect is homogeneous between different ages and PSA level categories. These three polymorphisms should be studied in a larger population to confirm these results. © 2020 The Author(s)

How isomaltulose and oligofructose affect physicochemical and sensory properties of muffins?

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Castelló, ML, Echevarrías, A, Rubio-Arraez, S, Ortolá, MD. How isomaltulose and oligofructose affect physicochemical and sensory properties of muffins J Texture Stud. 2021; 52: 410-419, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jtxs.12602. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.[EN] This article analyses, the replacement of sucrose in muffins with nine different combinations of isomaltulose and oligofructose. Being a structural isomer of sucrose with approx. 50% of sucrose sweetness, isomaltulose is non-cariogenic and with a low glycemic profile but having the same calories as sucrose. Oligofructose is composed of fructose polymers, with a reduced caloric value and prebiotic effect. Specifically, height, percentage of alveoli, water content, A(w), mechanical, and optical properties have been measured along with a sensory evaluation. The results showed that all combinations of sweeteners gave place to softer muffins than control ones. Moreover, isomaltulose caused a darkening of the products likely due to an enhancement of the Maillard reactions. The highest amount of isomaltulose and the absence of sucrose meant the worst score in sweetness and flavor due to the low sweetening powder of isomaltulose.GENERALITAT VALENCIANA, Grant/Award Number: AICO/2017/043Castelló Gómez, ML.; Echevarrías, A.; Rubio-Arraez, S.; Ortolá Ortolá, MD. (2021). How isomaltulose and oligofructose affect physicochemical and sensory properties of muffins?. Journal of Texture Studies. 52(3):410-419. https://doi.org/10.1111/jtxs.12602S41041952

Impact of Ramadan fasting on intraocular pressure, visual acuity and refractive errors

Introduction: Fasting evidently influences a variety of physiological parameters that can impact the ocular system. Among these modifications are alterations in insulin secretion, sympathetic activity, free fatty acids, lipid profile, melatonin, cortisol, electrolytes and catecholamines. In this study, we investigated the possible alterations in intraocular pressure (10P), visual acuity and refractive errors during Ramadan fasting. Methods: 10P, visual acuity and refractive errors of both eyes of volunteers were measured on the first and last days of Ramadan (once in the morning and evening). Body weight was measured so as to estimate the amount of dehydration. Data from the two examinations was analysed using one-way analysis of variance. A p -value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 58 healthy, fasting male volunteers with a mean age of 40.7 +/- 7.1 years participated in the study. Statistical analysis demonstrated no difference in 10P, visual acuity or refractive errors on the first and last days of Ramadan, or within a single day (from morning to evening). Conclusion: Our results reveal that Islamic Ramadan fasting does not profoundly affect physiological 10P, refractive error or visual acuity values in healthy volunteers. However, more detailed investigations using animal models should be designed to evaluate whether fasting has a pivotal influence on pathological conditions. Keywords: body weight, intraocular pressure, Ramadan fasting, refractive errors, visual acuit

Crisp-fuzzy representation of Allen's temporal logic

Allen's interval algebra is a powerful tool in reasoning temporal knowledge. At any moment of time, one and only one of the thirteen possible relations of Allen's interval algebra can exist between two intervals. However the disjunction relation between two intervals is only represented in terms of qualitative information. It is very hard to determine the degree of each relation. In this paper we introduce a new approach to model the uncertain information of Allen's temporal interval relations. This model adapts the concept of fuzzy set into the classical Allen's Temporal Logic (ATL) that is powerful enough to express the imprecise relations between the temporal intervals. The classical temporal network has been extended to accommodate the CriFuzz-ATL model

Feasibility Study Of Using Complex Of Hydrogen Peroxide And Silver For Disinfecting Swimming Pool Water And Its Environment

In this research the application of Nanosil containing hydrogen peroxide and silver was studied in disinfecting swimming pool water and it&apos;s Environment. The effect of the disinfectant on Candida albicans   (ATCC No. 10231), Aspergillus niger   (ATCC No. 16404), Pseudomonas aeruginosa   (ATCC No. 9027), Serratia marcescens   (PTCC No. 1111), Klebsiella pneumoniae   (ATCC No. 10031) and Staphylococcus aureus   (ATCC No. 29737) ) was evaluated. The main objective of this experiment was to determine the effective dose of Nanosil which could be used for disinfecting the environment of swimming pools and other surface area. Then, the effectiveness of Nanosil was studied in two private and one public swimming pools. Heterotrophic plate count, thermotolerant coliforms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were monitored as the target microorganisms in disinfection practice According to the result of this study, it is recommended to apply the Nanosil with the concentration of >3% (30000 mg/L) for contact time of 30 min or more for practical disinfection in swimming pools environment. The application of Nanosil in real conditions of two private and one public swimming pools indicated that the acceptable microbial quality is also achievable if the disinfectant residual concentration would be as high as 20 mg/L in swimming pool water